The best GTA 5 mods

Crime and Police Rebalance mod

Ever stealthily whack someone with a silenced pistol, in the absence of witnesses, and somehow the police still know? This Crime and Police Rebalance mod makes some changes in your favor. More crimes require a living witness to phone the cops, and the mod also slows down increases to your wanted level.

NB—it's worth noting that as of July 12, 2017, this mod was no longer supported by its creator. At the time of writing it still works, though, and is still great fun.

Trucking Missions script

Want a legit way to make a living? The Trucking Missions script gives you six different big-rig driving jobs to complete. Some are time-based, others focus on delivering cargo with as little damage as possible. You even have your own trucking office.

Ped Chaos script

Looks like the citizens of Los Santos have had it with simply being victims of your rampages, and are taking matters—and guns—into their own hands. With the Ped Chaos script, everyone in the city is armed and dangerous, and the cops are nowhere to be found. Watch citizens go to war with each other or join in yourself.

Open All Interiors

During GTA 5's storyline you'll visit the interiors of lots of buildings, such as the LifeInvader offices and the Sandy Shores Sheriffs Department, but you'll find these locations locked up if you ever return. The Open All Interiors script makes over 30 of these locations accessible during freeplay, giving you some great spots for shootouts with the fuzz or for just exploring at your leisure.

No Water/Tsunami/Atlantis mod

Want to play with the ocean level in GTA 5? This water mod has got you covered, literally, by giving you the ability to drown Los Santos in seawater. You can also remove the ocean altogether and drive around on the dry seabed. Using the experimental 'crazy waves' feature may cause game crashes, so make sure you read the instructions on the mod page carefully.

Working Restaurants script

Want to dine at Burgershot or Up-N-Atom? The Working Restaurants script adds the ability to snarf a quick, health-restoring meal at nine different restaurants. Navigate to the new icons on your map, stand under the yellow arrow by the front door, and chow down. Dining only costs a couple bucks, fills your health, and advances the clock by a half-hour.

Simple Passenger script

Feel like doing some hitchhiking? The Simple Passenger script lets you climb into NPC-driven cars, but instead of dumping the driver on the street you can ride as a passenger. Set waypoints for the driver and they'll bring you there, or let them decide where to go. You can also enable drive-by shootings, and if you get tired of being a passenger, you can switch to the driver's seat with a keypress.

Fuel script

A lot of thought has been put into GTA 5's cars, but what about the go-juice that keeps them running? Using the Fuel script means your car will slowly run out of gas as you drive. It also adds a gas tank meter (just above your minimap) to let you know when you're low on petrol, which you can refill by visiting a gas station or using a jerry can.